How NJC shields corrupt judges, by presidential adviser

The national judicial Council (NJC) has been accused of shielding corrupt judges.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, said the NJC “descends heavily” on judges who have no godfathers or connection, but leaves judges known to be corrupt on the Bench because of their family history and other considerations. He did not name such judges.

Obono-Obla, in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja, said corruption had become so rife in the judiciary that some litigants approach judges directly, bypassing their lawyers.

He said a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) once confided in him that lawyers’ income was dropping because litigants prefer to go to judges directly.

The presidential spoke in an interview with our correspondent in office in Abuja.

Obono-Obla disagreed with those who complain about loss of high profile cases.

He said critics should wait until all the cases had been decided by the Supreme Court.

Obono-Obla said he agreed with the view expressed by Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) that the NJC was working against the anti-corruption crusade.

“I support Prof Sagay’s position. There is no doubt about it. We’re not saying that if we take people to court, if there’s no evidence you should convict them. Just do the right thing. We hear a lot of stories. We have eyes. We know the system. I have practised law for over 20 years. I know how the system works. We know the judges who are bad. It’s not all the judges who are bad. We know the bad ones.

“NJC is not doing enough. If they’re doing enough, all judges that have undergone criminal investigation, that have allegedly collected money from lawyers, they should make a list of them and send to Mr President, and recommend their retirement from the Bench. And they should stop protecting some judges,” he said.

Obono-Obla said several complaints have been taken to the NJC without being treated.

He said judges who were expected to be sanctioned because of the severity of their offence were merely warned and placed on a “watchlist”.

“We have taken complaints to NJC and they don’t want to handle them. Let me give you an instance. We reported a judge of the Rivers State High Court to the NJC. We got a petition from a woman who was elected a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Her opponent challenged her case. He went to the tribunal and lost. He appealed and lost. The Court of Appeal ordered that a certificate of return should be issued to her. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued a certificate of return to her.

“Her opponent went to the Rivers State High Court to file a lawsuit against her. The judge issued an ex-parte order restraining her from taking her sit for one year. For one year, she was not allowed to be inaugurated in the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“We petitioned against the judge as to why he should dabble in an election matter that the Court of Appeal had given a final judgment on.

“National Assembly election petition cases terminate at the Court of Appeal, so any judge who is knowledgeable, who has integrity should know that he should not issue an ex-parte order to restrain somebody who has been elected and gone through the litigation process to the end.

“Do you know what NJC did? It said that judge should be warned. And that he’s on their watch-list,” Obono-Obla said.

He recalled that NJC once warned a judge in Akwa Ibom who restrained anti-graft agencies from arresting a former governor and placed him on a watchlist, but retired a judge who committed a lesser offence..

“So, you see the inconsistency of the NJC,” he said.

He called for a reform of the NJC, saying it was not objective in handling corruption cases against judges.

Obono-Obla said: “I’ve expressed the view that you cannot be a judge in your own case. That is a fundamental principle of the law of natural justice. Why should judges be the judges of judges? NJC should be made up of members of the civil society. They don’t need to be judges. They don’t need to be lawyers. We have a lot of members of the civil society who are people with integrity. They can look at complaints against a judge dispassionately and objectively.

“We see them (NJC) trying to protect some classes of judges. Some because their parents or grandparents were eminent jurists, their grandfathers were Chief Justices of Nigeria, their fathers were at the Court of Appeal, then they’re seen as a children of the judiciary, then they have to protect them.

“But if another judge who does not have that sort of pedigree commits an offence, they will descend heavily on that judge. We have seen it. That is why we have a lot of judges who have misbehaved but have become ‘institutions’.

“A friend of mine who is a SAN filed a complaint against a senior judge of the Federal High Court. He was very certain NJC would retire the judge. But the judge was exonerated. And the judge has dirty records. We know them.

“Lawyers know them but they’re afraid to speak out because they fear judges will punish them or not give them good recommendation. But we have to change the system, because lawyers are no longer making money.

“A SAN told me: ‘We may not come out and clap for you (the Federal Government). But we’re very happy with what you’re doing to cleanse the judiciary. As a SAN, I cannot pay my bills. Litigants don’t come to us again. They prefer to go to judges directly.

“In the past, judges will not allow a politician to visit them and begin to discuss pending cases. But now you see Supreme Court justices allowing politicians to come and discuss cases before them. And they will not order their arrest?”

we all knew the NJC has been a constituted fraud defending corrupt judges. infact that body needs to be reconstituted for effectiveness, they are the greatest obstacle to anti corruption in nigeria.

dave jacob

The NJC has never been an incorruptible body. For sons and daughters of retired or sitting SC judges to be made SANs as easily the camel passing through the needle of the eye says a lot about the NJCs roguery.

CHINASA NWACHUKU

I wonder what the NJC has to do with conferment of SAN on lawyers. Let us not mix up issues in a bid to give a dog a bad name in other to hang it. The NJC as far as i am concerned are a product of the society wherein they operate. They have not lived up to expectations. But please tell me who uprightness has put food on their table. Even the Barrister obla that has practiced for 20 years can not show what his 20 years practice has fetched him. He now has a job that pays him well so he can afford to shout without ample evidence. If he is morally upright, let him name the SAN who told him. We all need a reorientation, because if most of us (including obla) are in a position to ‘chop’ millions, we would do it. It depends on the side of the divide we find ourselves.

prince10

What a shame, typical Nig mind and thinking , I think we are not blind to see what is going on with Nig judiary e.g Ibori Case , Alam case , by now we she be more circumvent rather than shuting the mensagers.

ezedan

Dont mind the boy that is reading his own news upside down!

ezedan

Honestly, you are ignorant and blind to the truth of Obla statements!, did you read his statements properly or you are reading it upside down? If you wanted to be employed by any government then you need to be properly educated to climb up. Most Nigerians wanted changes about this ugly mess created by your supported uncle’s , sisters , father’s and mothers who are dragging this great Nation into disgrace and ridicule. NJC and the judiciary as a whole is the headache of this great Nation, if they do their work properly through their profession, the politicians will definitely sit up and corruption shall ease to its limit. Please brother read Obla statements again and again to understand him before throwing stone.

Shut-up your dirty mouth!, or are you suffering from mental disorder? If you have proofs and facts, why not present it to EFCC or sue them to court, instead of reading trash from ‘hearsay’ newspapers. We wanted facts and not frictions of lies!

Asuk

Your response shows how sane you are. Abusing people for expressing their opinion is an attempt to cow down decency in discourse. What I said is in the public domain, and you cannot sweep it under the carpet.

prince10

There must be a solution somewhere , PMB should do all he can regardless of all corruption that is fighting back people are solidly behind his administration

ezedan

Gbam!

Adewumi Seun

Corruption has permeated every fabric of Nigeria society and Judges are also products of the society. But they forgot that their position is divine and their dispositions are meant to be with fear of the ultimate judge ( God). They are more responsible to God than to the state. Miscarriage of justice is great burden that no judge can be able to carry before God. They are the hope of everyone whether common or non-common. I pray they will realise this and discharge their duties as God would have wanted them. Let us not fight with ourselves. We need to join hands with the present government to get rid corruption because of the future of our children. God bless Nigeria

Afo

Well meaning Nigerians should arise and occupy the brazenly corrupt NJC with demand for justice and fairness that can be seen by all.

Pascal66

All you rightly said, Nigerian Judiciary is corrupt and the corrupt ones are being shielded by NJC,specifically, the Rivers State Judiciary. What we have in Rivers state are Mugabe Judges……where all 95% of the judges are members of PDP.and are under the extra payroll of Gov. Wike.
How can we have a Supreme court where 70% of its members are corrupt, collecting bribe from Gov.Wike and politician who are under EFCC investigations. This activityis being supervised by a notorious Justice Mary Odili, as serving Judge of the Supreme Court. Up till now the CJN cannot explain to EFCC how N1.79b was traced into his account under Jonathan regime.